...No one seems to know how many there are. Passersby are too busy going to and fro their business to contemplate the growth of their ranks. They are the “canchosos” (street dogs) who roam freely...More.

By Sherif Awad
Scriptwriter Sayed Fouad, LAFF president, said that the festival will close the film reception for its 6th edition (March 2017) on December 15. He also added that LAFF received so far 256 films (fiction / documentary / short). The selection committee headed by scriptwriter Ateya El-Dardeery and the membership of directors Ahmed Rashwan and Mohamed Kamel; writer Naglaa El-Hediny; film critics Farouk Abdel-Khalik and Sherif Awad and Mostafa Hany is completing its viewing that began early October 2016.

By James Stafford of Oilprice.com
When a massive country de-nationalizes its entire energy sector and opens its oil and gas doors for the first time ever to foreign companies, the opportunities are staggering.
Welcome to the ‘new’ Mexico, and welcome to the early stages of an oil and gas game that will be bigger—from an investor’s perspective—than anything in history.
Mexico’s move to implement historic energy reform legislation in December 2013, and follow-up legislation in 2014 that further solidified the comprehensive de-nationalization, provides an unprecedented opportunity for oil companies looking to tap into Mexico’s huge energy potential.

By Alan Seaman
The articles I will be sending from Costa Rica are not written for entertainment or amusement. My goal is to save Panama from the fate that has befallen Costa Rica & our neighbors to the North. Of course, only YOU can do that. Although millions have died in their efforts to re-write history, the fact remains that HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF. One of the many books that enlightened me was Richard Nixon’s 1999. It was interesting to read what an ex-President thought would be the future in 20 years, & be able to compare it to what actually happened. But the lesson I learned is that America’s greatest fault is its short-sightedness. The actions of America’s leaders (both private & public) are focused upon QUARTERS. Private investments & public policies are typically predicated upon corporate quarterly reports & 3-month reports of Government statistics.

By Dr. Sam Ben-Meir
Currently on display at The Metropolitan Museum of Art is the first-ever exhibition devoted to the work of Valentin De Boulogne (1591-1632), a French baroque painter known chiefly as one of the great caravaggisti – the followers of Caravaggio. Valentin thoroughly absorbed the artistic revolution initiated by Caravaggio, tenebrism, with its enhanced chiaroscuro, working from live models, dispensing with preparatory drawings, and emphasizing interiors and interiority.

By Alan Seaman
I write here a contribution I feel is worth publishing—-& have a great deal more to say—-which I hope you eventually welcome. I should begin by introducing myself. From what I say, some might accuse me of being an old, white male chauvinist bigot. Before doing so, you need to explain that to my black wife, who doesn’t speak a word of English. When I read the word NEWSPAPER, I actually envision a piece of paper with ink on it that communicates news. Younger readers likely do not. When I read the word JOURNALIST I think of a professional with proficient vocabulary. As became painfully evident in the 2016 Election process, today’s REPORTERS see their job as collectively expressing their views & prejudices as facts.

By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com
One of the oil world’s longest and best kept secrets may finally be revealed. Saudi Arabia is preparing to unveil how much oil it holds, a closely guarded state secret that has been kept quiet for decades.
The decision to bring such important data to light comes as Saudi Aramco is preparing to partially privatize its assets, an IPO that could bring in some $100 billion. The IPO will be a monumental event, one that the Wall Street Journal says could offer Wall Street some of the largest fees in history.

(BFP)Number 52 of the world, Giraldo had a good debut yesterday against Dudi Sela of Israel, winning 6-2, 6-3. Santiago Giraldo advances at first round of ATP 250 Bangkok. This is the second match against Dudi Sela, the first was in 2010 where the winner was Sela.

Are you headed for a heart attack because of “marginal scurvy”, a condition resulting from a lack of vitamin C? Moreover, if vitamin C is sound medicine for gorillas, why isn’t it good for us? And in the 16th century, why did the ship’s cat survive long sea voyages when its sailors died from scurvy?

Today, we know that sailors of old, lacking vitamin C, died of this preventable disease. A shortage of fresh fruit in their diet resulted in degeneration of blood vessels, hemorrhage and death.

Media servers are becoming popular in this age of wireless home networks, delivering audio and video content from a computer or the Internet to whatever device you may want to use, within reason.

I usually use such devices to stream music, because most of the videos I watch are on Blu-ray and no matter how much hype you hear about downloads taking over, there are still bandwidth and file compatibility issues. I admit reluctantly to accessing YouTube and its ilk for some casual viewing sometimes, but media servers are increasingly playing back music in other rooms of my house.